Baker&#39;s oven



April 21, 1925. E. B. CRAWFORD BAKER S OVEN Filed March 16 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BAKERS OVEN Filed March 16*, 1922 E. B. CRAWFORD April 21, 1925.

Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMERICK B. CRAWFORD, OF NEW HAVEN,- CONNECTICUT, A'SSIGNOR TO THE OVEN EQUIPMENT & MFG. 00., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

BAKER/S OVEN.

To all whom it may concern:

' v Be it known that I, EMERIcK B. CRAW- noun, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in thecountyof New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bakers Ovens; and I do hereby declare the'following, when'taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a fulhclear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, iii-'- Fig. 1' a. view, in end elevation, of an end less-conveyor bakers oven embodying my invention. I

Fig. 2 a broken View thereof in side elevation.

Fig. 3 a view thereof in vertical, central, longitudinal section.

My invention relates to an improvement in bakers ovens of the type employing an endless conveyor carrying a plurality of shelves, the object being to produce an effi cient and convenient oven built with particular reference to cheapness and simplicity of initial construction, as well as to economy of maintenance andopera-tion. With these ends in view my invention consists in an endless-conveyor bakers oven having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter de-.

scribedand pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention, as herein shown, I employ a main insulated rectangular oven-structure 10, having interior in sulated partitions 11 and 12, whereby it is divided into a main baking-chamber 13, and an auxiliary baking-chamber 14, located above the same. The main oven-structure 10 is provided at its opposite ends with loading and unloading openings 15 l cated di-- rectly opposite each other and sufliciently above the bottom oi the structure to prevent floor-currents of cold air from impinging upon the food-products in the unbaked state thereof. Under this construction, those, portions 16 of the end walls of the ovenstructure 10, below the openings 15, act in effect as battles. The said openings 15' are closed by vertically-movable sliding doors 17 provided at their upper ends with fixed shelves 18 and suspended by chains or cables stances, to heat the aux1l1ary-chamber 14.

from the main-chamber 13, for which pm- 19 attached to their ends, passing upward over pulleys 20 and furnished with counter- Application filed March 16, 1922. Serial No. 544,158.

weights 21, whereby the doors may be held in anydesired vertical position, according to the requirements of use, it being desirable to restrict the openings 15 as much' as possible for the conservation of the heat within the oven and the comfort of the baker, wherefore the doors are adjusted in height and thus positioned, with reference to the size of the food-products being baked. The said doors, weights, and pulleys are located within hood-structures 22 respectively applied to the ends of the oven-structure and each furnished, just above the openings 15, with a cowl 23 and at their upper ends with a vent 24.

vThe said main and auxiliary bakingchambers 13 and 14 are traversed in succession by an endless, articulated conveyor consisting of transverse rods 25, chains 26 and swinging shelves 27. gage with sprocket-wheels 28 near the ends of the transverse shaft 29, oneend of which projects through the oven-structure and receives a driving-pulley 30, to which power is communicated from any convenient source. A plurality of flanged idler-pulleys 31, mounted at the ends of shafts 32, receive the chains 26 and support the endless conveyor, which, according to the location of the said idler-pulleys within the chambers 13 and 14, moves in a circuitous path through the same. The number of turns taken by the conveyor will depend upon the arrangement of the idler-pulleys 31 and constitutes no part of my present invention, so long as they are arranged for the passage of the conveyor through the heating-chambers in series, for which purpose intercommunicating passages 33 are provided between the ends of the oven-structure 10 and the ends of the main baking-chamber 13, within which latter. I locate upstandin transversely-arranged partitions 34, whic I prevent the too-ready exit of the heat therefrom.

-To provide for heating and for oontrollin the heat of the respective chambers 13 and 14 independently of each other, I provide the former with gas-burners 35, air-supply pipes 36 and vent-pipes 37, while the chamber 14 is provided with gas-burners 38, air-supply pipes 39 and a vent 40. It may be desirable, under some circum- The said chains enpose the latter is provided in its top with ports 41, furnished with dampers 42. which will, of course, be closed when the chamber 14 is heated from the burners 38.

A bakers oven, constructed in accordance with my invention, is susceptible of a considerable range of use on account of being double-ended and on account of the ability of the endless conveyor to be operated in either direction. Thus, some food-products are best treated by being subjected, first, to a moderate and then to an intense heat. in which case the conveyor will be operated so as to cause the passage of its shelves through the auxiliary chamber 14 before they pass circuitously through the main chamber 13, where the heat is more intense. On the other hand, some food-products require a reversal of this order, in which case, the conveyor will be loaded and operated so as to pass the food-products through the main chamber for the main baking and through the auxiliary chamber for the final baking. Furthermore, it is quite possible to heat the auxiliary chamber to a higher degree than the main chamber, this being under the ready control of the baker. Again, it may be desirable in baking some classes of products, notably hearth-bread and rolls, to feed them into one end of the oven and remove them from the other end of the oven without their passage through the auxiliary chamber. For such baking, it is desirable to super-heat the soap-stone, fire-clay, or corresponding material which may be used for the bottoms of the shelves 27. In such use of the oven, the auxiliary chamber will be super-heated and the unloading shelves passed through it before receiving the bread or rolls at one end of the oven, from the other end of which they will be discharged, baked, Without pass- :ing through the auxiliary chamber.

While I have shown provision for heating my improved bakers oven by gas, I would have it understood that it may also be heated by oil, electricity, or any other available source of heat.

I claim:

1. A bakcrs oven having a loading-and unloading opening located substantially above its floor, a vertically-movablc door for the said opening; provided at its upper end with a shelf. and means for raising and lowering the said door, so as to increase or decrease the area of the said opening and for Holding it in any of its vertical adjustments.

2. A bakers oven, having a loading-andunloading opening located substantially above its floor, a vertically-movable, shcfcarrying door for the said opening, means for operating the said door, whereby it is held in any desired position with respect to the said opening, and a hood applied to the end of the ovenstructure and providing a housing for the saiddoor and for the means for operating the same.

3. A bakers oven, having a main and an auxiliary baking-chamber, an endless con-" veyor arranged to pass through the said chambers in series, loading-and-unloading openings located at the ends of the oven sub-- stantially above the floor thereof. and vertically-movable, shelf-carrying sliding doors for the said openings, and means for holding the said doors in any desired positions of vertical adjustment with respect to the said openings.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMERIOK B. CRAWFORD.

Witnesses:

GEoneE D. SEYMO R, MALcoLM P. NIGHOI-S. 

